2018 high school football preview: District 17-6A

Cy-Fair Marcus McKinley (28) helps holding the state title plaque during celebrationg after winning the Class 6A Division II State Championship Game at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017, in Arlington. The Cy-Fair Bobcats defeated the Waco Midway Panthers 51-35 and won the state championship title. The Bobcats are rebuilding after graduating a massive class – they lost 41 seniors, the most in the district – but their identity is well-established. ( Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle ) less

Cy-Fair Marcus McKinley (28) helps holding the state title plaque during celebrationg after winning the Class 6A Division II State Championship Game at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017, in Arlington. ... more

Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle

Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle

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Cy-Fair Marcus McKinley (28) helps holding the state title plaque during celebrationg after winning the Class 6A Division II State Championship Game at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017, in Arlington. The Cy-Fair Bobcats defeated the Waco Midway Panthers 51-35 and won the state championship title. The Bobcats are rebuilding after graduating a massive class – they lost 41 seniors, the most in the district – but their identity is well-established. ( Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle ) less

Cy-Fair Marcus McKinley (28) helps holding the state title plaque during celebrationg after winning the Class 6A Division II State Championship Game at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017, in Arlington. ... more

Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle

2018 high school football preview: District 17-6A

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Football preview for District 17-6A:

Favorite

To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, and it doesn’t get any better than state champion. Cy-Fair, which is Cy-Fair ISD’s oldest high school, also is its first state champ in football after going 15-0 and beating Waco Midway 51-35 in the 6A Division II final at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The Bobcats are rebuilding after graduating a massive class – they lost 41 seniors, the most in the district – but their identity is well-established, and they’re unlikely to slide far under coach Ed Pustejovsky, in his 38th year with the program, and 15th as head coach. The Bobcats return three offensive linemen, which always is a key to success for Pustejovsky’s teams, and elite playmaker Christian Richmond, who has multiple offers. Linebacker Tre’von Mosley, lineman Tanner Cormier and DB Payton Tally lead an always-stingy defense.

Next in line

Langham Creek and Cypress Ranch are in a different district now, opening the door for other teams, and Cy Falls is poised to pass through. After a brief stint in the Wing-T, resulting in one of the program’s best seasons three years ago, the Golden Eagles are back in the spread – and ready for lift-off after last year’s refresher. They went 5-5 and returned to the playoffs, and second-year coach Chris Brister expects to take another step forward behind T.J. Goodwin, a 6-5 returning quarterback who’s surrounded by playmakers, including senior receivers Devon Hayward, Jyrese Hanchett and Semaj Trahan, and physical running back Koby Leavatts, who surpassed 1,000 rushing yards as a junior.

Cypress Creek hasn’t made the playoffs since 2015, but it’s been close, finishing one game out the last two seasons, so realignment worked wonders for the Wildcats, who are aiming for a playoff return, and more. They, too, boast a bevy a playmaking receivers, including Dawson Unruh, Geonardo Sutton and 6-6 Jaden Gray, and with elite athletes Carson Unruh and Julian Brown competing at quarterback, they have quality options under center. The key is finding more production on the ground, where Eddie Jimerson is the top returner. LB Josh White locks down the defense. Dave Campbell’s preseason pick for 17-6A defensive MVP holds 10 offers, including Alabama and Houston.

Stratford fared well its first two seasons in 6A, extending a playoff streak that’s now 12 years long, including an appearance in the 4A Division I semifinals in 2013. The Spartans have a new coach in Todd Rankin, formerly the OC at Klein Collins, but return seven defensive starters. Cy Ridge, which has seen its share of peaks and valleys, is on the upswing under 15th-year coach Gary Thiebaud, who returns 14 starters, including third-year QB Noah Smith, who holds offers from Tulsa and SMU. Jersey Village boasts 10 returning starters on defense in its bid to end an 11-year playoff drought.

Players to watch

Koby Leavatts, Sr., RB, Cy Falls

The Golden Eagles went back to the pass, but they’ll still win on the ground with Leavatts, who carried the ball more than anyone else in Cy-Fair ISD last year. Coach Chris Brister said the 5-9, 190-pound ball carrier could see a similar workload this season, if that’s what it takes to win, with 30 to 35 carries per game not out of the question.

Raymond Richardson, Jr., QB, Jersey Village

The 6-2, 175-pound athlete played quarterback, receiver and defensive back last year, picked up a Rice offer as a corner and enters this season as the starting QB after a lifetime in the program. “He’s athletic, and he knows the system,” coach David Snokhous said. “He was my ball boy when he was 3 … he knows football, and he’s a great, smart kid.”

Josh White, Jr., LB, Cy Creek

The 6-1½, 205-pound outside backer already holds 10 offers, and he’s only a junior. Coach Greg McCaig said he’s one of the best backers in the state after racking up 119 tackles last year. “He’s really, really fast, and he is an instinctive linebacker, so he’s a guy who you cut loose and let go,” McCaig said.

The two area powers resume their series, which was interrupted by Harvey last year. The Highlanders took the last two meetings, including 23-20 in 2016, but the Bobcats won 9-0 four years ago, and they return their long-time coach while the Highlanders are breaking in a new one in Jim Rapp, who previously was retired coach Mark Schmid’s offensive coordinator. The Woodlands leads the all-time series 8-4-1, according to lonestarfootball.net.

Cypress Creek vs. Stratford6 p.m. Sept. 29, Tully Stadium

Coach Greg McCaig is in his 17th season as the head coach at Cy Creek, so it may seem like he’s been there forever, but that isn’t the case. He spent two seasons at Stratford before heading to Creek in 2002, so this new matchup sends him back to his old stomping grounds for a key game in playoff positioning. The Cougars went 4-5 last season, and the Spartans, under then-coach Eliot Allen, finished 6-4.

The Golden Eagles, Cy-Fair ISD’s first state finalists in football in 2006, are aiming for another big year, and a win here would boost their chances of earning a district title – and a top playoff seed. Cy-Fair holds an eight-year stranglehold on the series, and the last two weren’t close, but Cy Falls, which expects to see major improvement in Year 2 of the spread, won four straight from 2006 to 2009.